Railway switch-frog.



Inventor; Harm Roach L m I 0T 0 9H s In I 1 Q Nu w 0.. wAsnmc-rou. o c,

H; P. ROAGH.

RAILWAY SWITCH FROG.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 25, 1908.

. Patented Nov. 17, 1908.

10 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

inventor:

Harm F. Roach bY MW rawwwe Abbw Witnesses H. F. ROACH.

RAILWAY SWITCH FROG.

I APPLICATION FILED APR.25,1908.

Patented Nov. 17, 1908.

10 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

. ligvangorz by an YF. oac m Witnesses H. P. ROACH. RAILWAY SWITCH FROG.AI PLIOATION rum) APR. 25, 1908.

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H. F. ROAOH.

RAILWAY SWITCH FROG.

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H. F. ROACH.

RAILWAY SWITCH FROG.

APPLICATION mum APR.25,1908.

904,278 Patented Nov. 17, 1908.

10 SHEETS-SHEET 6.

11- 5 mums PEYERs co, WASNINUTON, n. c.

H. P. ROAGH.

RAILWAY SWITCH FROG. APPLIOATION FILED Arm-25. 190a.

904,278 v Patented Nov. 17, 1908.

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Witnesses H. F. ROACH.

RAILWAY SWITCH FROG. APPLICATION FILED APR. 25, 1909.

Patented Nov. 17, 1908 10 SHEETS-SHEET 8 :x

\nventor: Harm F. Roach owns PETERS cm. wnsnllvarorv. n

H. F. ROAGH.

RAILWAY SWITCH FROG.

APPLICATION rum) APR. 25. 1908.

Patented Nov. 17, 1908. 10 SHEETSSHBET 9.

M h R M i J m MGQ 1 m a k H M 3 5 M H. F. ROAUH.

RAILWAY SWITCH FROG.

APPLICATION FILED 111.26, 1909.

904,278. Patented Nov. 17, 1908.

10 SHEETS-SHEET 10.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

HARRY F. ROAOH, OF ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI, ASSIGNOR TO CONTINUOUS RAIL &SAFETY SWITCH 00., OF ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI, A CORPORATION OF NEW JERSEY.

RAILWAY SWITCH-FROG.

To all whom it may concern.

Be it known that I, HARRY F. Roacn, a citizen of the United States,residing at St.- Louis, Missouri, have invented a certain new and usefulImprovement in Railway Switch-Frogs, of which the following is a full,clear, and exact description, such as willenable others skilled in theart to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being hadto the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification, inwhich Figure 1 is a diagrammatic View of a railway switch-frogconstructed in accordance with my invention; Fig. 2 is an enlargeddetail View of parts of the apparatus shown in Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is a sideelevation of a portion of the outside rail of the siding and one of thewheel-operated members that cooperates with said rail; Fig. i is anenlarged top plan view of parts of the apparatus illustrated in Fig. 1;Fig. 5 is an enlarged top plan view of the housing which contains theautomatic locking means for the switch operating bar and also the devicethat trips said locking means to release said bar; Fig. 6 is a verticallongitudinal sectional view taken through approximately the center ofsaid housing; Fig. 7 is a transverse sectional view taken on the line 77of Fig. 6; Fig. 8 is an enlarged cross sectional view of the outsiderail of the siding and one of the bars that is employed for preventingthe frog-point from moving back to its normal position before the trainhas passed the frog; Fig. 9 is a side elevation of the parts shown inFig. 8; Fig. 10 is an enlarged vertical sectional view taken on the line1010 of Fig. 4.; Fig. 11 is a perspective view of a portion of afrog-point base plate of slightly difierent form from that illustratedin Fig. 10; Fig. 12 is a top plan view of still another form of baseplate; Fig. 13 is a vertical sectional view taken on the line 13-13 ofFig. 12, a portion of the frog-point being broken away; Fig. 14: is across sectional view taken on the line 1411 of Fig. 12; Fig. 15 is across sectional view taken on the line 1515 of Fig. 12; Fig. 16 is anenlarged top plan view of one of the wheel-operated members that.actuates the movable frogpoint or tongue; Fig. 17 is a side elevation ofthe parts shown in Fig. 16; Fig. 18 is a cross sectional view taken onthe line 1S18 of Fig. 17; Fig. 19 is a cross sectional viewSpecification of Letters Patent.

Application filed April 25, 1908.

Patented Nov. 17, 1908.

Serial No. 429,247.

taken on the line 1919 of Fig. 17; Fig. 20 1s a cross sectional viewtaken on the line 2020 of Fig. 17; Fig. 21 is a cross sectlonal viewtaken on the line 2121 of Fig. 17;

Fig. 22 is a cross sectional view taken on the line 22 22 of Fig. 17;Fig. 23 is a diagrammatic view of a construction in which the movabletongue or frog-point is actuated by mechanism controlled by theswitch-operating bar; Fig. 2a is an enlarged detail view of one of theyielding links employed in the construction shown in Fig. 23 foractuating the frog-point; Fig. 25 is a side elevation of the outsiderail of the siding of the construction illustrated in Fig. 23; Fig. 26is a diagrammatic view of a construction similar to that illustrated inFig. 23 but in which a rigid frog-point is used; Fig. 27 is an enlargedtop plan view of the switch stand and shows the locking means for theoperating shaft of the switch stand; Fig. 28 is an enlarged verticalsectional view taken on the line 2S28 of Fig. 27; Fig. 29 is an enlargedvertical sectional view taken on the line 2929 of Fig. 27; Fig. 30 is adetail view of a different form of looking device for theswitch-operating bar; Fig. 31 is a cross sectional view taken on theline 3131 of Fig. 30; and Fig. 32 is a detail perspective view of aportion of the switchoperating bar shown in Figs. 30 and 31.

This invention relates to railway switch frogs and automatic safetyswitches.

One object of my invention is to provide an automatic safety switchhaving means of novel construction for preventing the switch points fromreturning to normal position to close the siding until after the lastcar of a train has passed onto the siding or from the siding onto themain line.

Another object of my invention is to provide a safety switch whichcomprises automatic means of novel construction for looking the switchpoint operating bar when the switch points return to their normalposition to open the main line, said locking means preventing the switchpoints from being moved by an unauthorized person.

Another object of my invention is to provide a safety switch comprisinga locking device that automatically locks the switch points in positionto open the siding, a yie ld ingly operated tripping device for trlppingsaid locking device so that the switch points can return to normalposition to close the siding, and means operated by the wheels of atrain on the siding for storing up energy in the means that moves thetripping device into engagement with the locking device.

Another object of my invention is to provide a railway switch -frogcomprising switch-points and a movable frog-point, yielding means fornormally holding the frog-point and switch-points in such a positionthat the main line is open, and means operated by the wheels of a trainfor moving the frog-point into position to open the siding.

Another object of my invention is to provide a switch-frog comprisingswitch-points and a movable frog-point, yielding means for normallyholding said switch-points and frog-point in such a position that themain line is open, and mechanism actuated by the switch-point-operatingmeans for actuating the movable frog-point.

Other objects and desirable features of my present invention will behereinafter pointed out.

Referring to Fig. 1 of the drawings which illustrates the preferred formof my invention, 1 and 1 designate, respectively, the inside and outsiderails of a main line, 2 and 2 designate, respectively, the inside andoutside rails of a siding, 3 designates movable switch-points, and 4designates a movable tongue or frog-point arranged at the intersectionof the inside rails of the main line and siding. The movable frogpoint 4and switch-points 3 are normally held in such a position that the mainline will be open and the siding closed, and means are provided forshifting the switchpoints and frog-point to open the siding and closethe main line.

The construction shown in Fig. 1 comprises yielding members such, forexample, as springs or weights, for holding the switchpoints and frogtongue in such a position that the main line is open, means operated bythe wheels of a passing train for moving the frog-point in the oppositedirection so as to open the siding, and a switch-point operating barthat is adapted to be actuated manually or by some suitable mechanical,electrical or air-controlled means for moving the switch-points intoposition to open the siding. The construction shown in Fig. 1 alsocomprises means for preventing the frog-point and switch-points frommoving back to their normal positions to open the main line until thetrain has passed the frog pr has passed from the siding onto the mainThe switch-points 3 of the construction shown in Fig. 1 are connected toa bar 5 that I will term a switch-operating bar, said bar being adaptedto be moved in the direction of the arrow at in Fig. 1 to open thesiding and close the main line. This switchoperating bar can be-actuatedmanually or by some suitable mechanical, electrical or fluidoperatedmeans, not shown. The switch-points are moved in the opposite directionby an expansion spring 6 which acts on a plunger 7 pivotally connectedto one of the switch -points, said spring and plunger being arrangedinside of a housing 8, as shown clearly in Fig. 2. While I have hereinshown an expansion spring 6 for moving the switch-points into positionto open the main line it will, of course, be obvious that any othersuitable form of spring or yielding device could be employed for thispurpose without departing from the spirit of my invention.

A plunger 9 is pivotally connected to the movable rog-point 4, as shownin Fig. 4, and a coiled expansion spring 10 is interposed between a headon said plunger and one end of a housing 11 into which the plungerprojects for moving said frog-point into alinement with the inside railof the main line and hold it in this position so that the main line willbe open. Said movable frog-point or tongue is moved in the oppositedirection to bring it into alinement with the inside rail of the sidingby means of wheel-operated members 12 and 12 that will be hereinafterfully described, said wheeloperated members being carried by pivotallymounted devices that normally hold said members in such a position thatthey will extend above the tread of the outside rail 2 of the siding sothat when a wheel strikes said members they will be depressed and movedlongitudinally and thereby actuate devices which impart movement to thefrog-point or tongue 4. These wheel-operated members are so constructedthat the member 12 will be depressed and moved longitudinally in thedirection of the arrow 1) in Fig. 1 and the member 12 will be depressedand moved longitudinally in the opposite direction, as indicated by thearrow 0 in Fig. 1. The movements of the wheel-operated members 12 and 12are transmitted to the movable tongue 4 by means of a system of linksand levers comprising a bell crank lever 13 ar ranged adjacent the freeend of the tongue 4, a link 14 connected to said lever and to the tongue4, a link 15 connected to the opposite arm of said lever 13 and to onearm of a bell crank lever 16, and a link 17 connected to the to a rockarm 24 which is actuated by the wheel-operated member 12. I prefer toconnect a long rod or link 21 to the other end of the straight lever 22and to the arm on the lever 18 to which the link 19 is connected so thatthe movements of the straight lever 22 will be imparted to thethree-armed lever 18 and. vice versa, by a pull of either the rods 21 or21 instead of a thrust as these rods are of such length that they wouldtend to bend if they were put under compression.

The switch-operating bar 5 will, of course, have to be moved in thedirection indicated by the arrow at in Fig. 1 to open the siding, andwhen a train has entered the siding and is approaching the toe end ofthe frog the wheels of said train will depress the wheeloperated member12 and move it longitudinally in the direction of the arrow 7) in Fig.1, thereby actuating the rock arm 24 so that the straight lever 22 movesin a direction to cause the long rod 21 to pull on the threearmed lever18 and thus move the link 17 in the direction indicated by the arrow (Zin Fig.1, the movement of the link 17 in this direction causing thetongue at to move into alinement with the inside rail 2 of the siding.The movement of the three-armed lever 18 also rocks the arm 20 andcauses the wheel-operated member 12 to move clownwardly simultaneouslywith the depression of the wheel-operated member 12. If a train on thesiding approaches the heel end of the frog when the tongue 1 is inalinement with the inside rail of the main line, the wheeloperatedmember 12 will be depressed by the wheels of the train and movedlongitudinally in the direction of the arrow 0 in Fig. 1 and thus causethe rock arm 20 to move the three-armed lever 18 in such a directionthat the link 17 will move in the direction indicated by the arrow at inFig. 1 and thus move the tongue 4 into alinement with the inside rail ofthe siding, the long rod 21 pulling on the straight lever 22 and thusrocking the arm 24 so as to cause the wheel-operated member 12 to movedownwardly. By mounting the members 12 and 12 in such a manner that theymove longitudinally in opposite directions, I overcome the possibilityof either member moving in an opposite direction to that in which thewheel that operates it is traveling; that is to say, the member 12 isdepressed and moved longitudinally in the direction of the arrow 6 by awheel that is approaching the toe end of the frog, and as the member 12is depressed simultaneously with the member 12, said member 12 will bein its depressed position at the time said wheel passes onto it. Thewheel that is approaching the heel end of the frog will depress themember 12 and move it in the direction indicated by the arrow 0 in Fig.1, and as the member 12 is depressed simultaneously said member will bein its depressed position when the wheel passes onto it.

From the foregoing it will be seen that the tongue or frog-point 1 isautomatically moved into alinement with the inside rail of the sidingwhenever a train approaches the frog from either direction, thewheeloperated members 12 and 12 being connected together in such amanner that both members move simultaneously so that when one member isin an operative position the other member will also be in an operativeposition and when one member is depressed the other will also bedepressed.

Preferably, one arm of the bell crank lever 13 is provided with a toothor projection 25 that enters a recess in the end of the frog tongue dwhen said tongue is in alinement with the inside rail of the siding andthus locks it in this position, said projection and recess being soformed that the projection will pass out of the recess when the spring10 is permitted to expand to return the tongue to its normal position.

After the switch-points have been moved into position to open the sidingthey are locked in this position by means of a gravity-operated dog 26which drops into oper ative position in the path of movement of theswitch-operating bar 5 and prevents the spring 6 from returning said barand the switch-points to normal position. This looking dog 26 and themechanism that moves said dog into an inoperative position to releasethe switclroperating bar 5, is shown in detail in Figs. 5 to 7,inclusive. The dog 26 is pivotally mounted inside of a housing 27arranged adjacent to the switch-points, as shown in Fig. 1. The end ofthe switchoperating bar 5 projects into said housing underneath the dog26 and when the switchpoints are in operative position said dog willrest on the upper side of said bar. \Vhen said bar is moved in thedirection indicated by the arrow a in Fig. 1 it will pass from under thedog 26 and thus permit said dog to move downwardly into the positionshown in Fig. 6 and thus form an obstruction which prevents said barfrom moving in the opposite direction. If desired, a roller 28 can bemounted in the end of the bar 5 for reducing the friction between saidbar and the locking dog. The locking dog 26 is provided with afinger-piece 29 that projects laterally through an elongated slot 30 inthe housing to enable said dog to be raised manually so as to releasethe switch-operating bar. The mechanism for automatically tripping saidlocking dog to release the switchoperating bar consists of areciprocating device 31 arranged inside of the housing and adapted toengage an extension 26 on said dog and swing it upwardly, saidreciprocating device being operated by mechanism hereinafter described.The housing 27 is provided with inclined guides 32, shown in dottedlines in Fig. 6, that form a track for a pin 31 which extendstransversely through the inner end of the reciprocating device 31, saidguides being so formed that when the pin 31 rests on the lowest portionsof said guides the inner end of the device 31 will be out of the path ofmovement of the extension 26" on the locking dog.

Hinged guides 33 that lie in an approximately horizontal plane arearranged over the inclined guides 32 and the free ends of said hingedguides are drawn downwardly so that they contact with the inclinedguides, by means of contraction springs 34 which are connected to theunderneath sides of said hinged guides. hen the tripping device 31 movesin the direction indicated by the arrow 0 in Fig. 6, the pin 31 willride up the inclined guides 32 and when said pin strikes the hingedguides said guides will yield and thus permit said pin to pass ontohorizontal guides 34 on the housing which form continuations of thehinged guides 33, as shown in dotted lines in Fig. 6. The reciprocatingtripping device 31 is moved in the opposite direction by meanshereinafter described and the pin 31 will then ride over the hingedguides 33 until the end of the tripping device strikes the extension 26on the dog, thereby swinging said dog upwardly and releasing theswitch-operating bar 5 so that the spring 6 can move it back to itsnormal position. \Vhen the pin 31 leaves the hinged guides 33 thetripping device 31 will drop downwardly into the position shown in Fig.6. The housing 27 preferably consists of two cast members provided withlaterally projecting flanges 35 that receive fastening devices whichsecure the housing to the ties of the track. These two members areprovided with cooperating flanges 36 through which fastening devicespass to secure said members together, and in the preferred form of myinvention, as shown in Fig. 7, one of said members is provided with anintegral wall that forms the top of the housing, and the vertical sideweb of the other member has a lip 37 that interlocks with a lip 38 onsaid top wall, thus producing a structure in which the joint be tweenthe two members is so located that water cannot enter the housing.

A bar 40 is arranged adjacent the outside rail 2 of the siding and iscarried by a number of links 41, each of which is pivotally connected atits lower end to a bracket 42 that is connected to the base of the rail2 as shown in Fig. 8. The bracket 42 preferably consists of a castmember having portions which embrace the edge portion of the base of therail and laterally projecting stops 43 between which the link 41 isarranged, as shown in Fig. 9. The lower end of the link is connected tothe bracket by a bolt 43 and cotter pin 44 and the bracket is clamped tothe rail by means of bolts 45 which pass underneath the base of therail, said bolts having bent heads 45 that hook over the edge portion ofthe base of the rail. The upper edge of the bar 40 normally lies flushwith the tread of the rail 2' and when any of the links 41 are swung ontheir fulcrums the bar 40 will move longitudinally, the swingingmovement of the links raising said bar and then returning it to itsnormal position, as shown in Fig. 9. The stops 43 limit the movements ofthe links 41 and as the bar 40 has to move upwardly above the tread ofthe rail 2 in order to move longitudinally of said rail, it will beobvious that said bar cannot move longitudinally whenever a wheel is onthat portion of the rail 2* alongside of which the bar 40 extends forthe tread of the wheel will prevent the bar from moving upwardly. Thereciprocating tripping device 31 which disengages the locking dog '26from the switch-operating bar is pivotally connected to a link 46 thatis fastened to the bar 40, and one of the links 41 which support saidbar 40, is connected to the wheel-operated member 12 so that themovements of said wheel-operated member will be transmitted to the bar40.

In the preferred form of my invention, as shown in detail in Fig. 2, aplunger 47 that is pivotally connected to the wheel-operated member 12projects into a casing 48 that is pivotally connected to one of thelinks 41 which support the bar 40, and a coiled expansion spring 49 isinterposed between one end of said casing and a head on the end ofplunger 47. -When the wheel-operated member 12 is depressed and movedlongitudinally by the wheels of a train that has ust passed onto thesiding the spring 49 in the casing will be compressed because the bar 40is prevented from moving longitudinally with the wheel member 12 owingto the fact that the wheels of the train are passing over said bar andthus prevent it from moving upwardly. As soon as the wheels pass out ofcontact with said bar 40, however, the spring 49 will eX- pand and thusmove the casing 48 and bar 40 in the direction indicated by the arrow fin Fig. 2, this movement of the bar 40 bringing the reciprocatingtripping device 31 into the position shown in dotted lines in Fig. 6.After the train has passed through the frog and the wheels of the trainhave left the other wheel-operated member 12 both of the wheel-operatedmembers will be restored to their normal elevated position by the expansion of the frog-point operating spring 10. As the wheel-operated member12 returns to normal position the plunger 47 connected thereto willengage the casing 48 and move the bar 40 in the opposite direction tothat indicated by the arrow in Fig. 2, thereby causing the reciprocatingtripping device 31 to engage the locking dog 26 and swing it upwardly torelease the switch-operating bar 5 and permit the spring 6 to restorethe switch points to their normal position so as to open the main line.WVhen a train approaches the heel end of the frog the wheeloperatedmembers will both be depressed, as previously stated, and thereciprocating tripping device 31 will be set in position to trip thelocking dog 26 after the train has passed from the siding onto the mainline, it being understood that the switch-operating bar has to be thrownto open the siding before the train reaches the switch-points.

While I have herein shown the tripping device for the locking element asconsisting of a reciprocating member that is moved into engagement withthe locking element by means of a spring, and in the opposite directionby means of wheel-operated members, I do not wish to have it understoodthat my broad idea is limited to the use of a spring for actuating thetripping device, as a weight or pneumatic means could be used for thispurpose without departing from the spirit of my invention.

To prevent the frog-tongue 1 from moving back to its normal positionafter it has been thrown by one of the wheel-operated members, I arrangeone or more bars 50 and 51 of practically the same construction as thebar 40, between the two wheel-operated members, as shown in Fig. 1.These bars 50 and 51 extend longitudinally of the outside rail of thesiding with their upper edges flush with the tread of said rail so thata wheel traveling on said rail and engaging said bars will prevent saidbars from moving upwardly. One of the links which support the bar 50 isconnected by a short link 50 to the long rod 21, as shown in Fig. 1, andone of the links which support the bar 51 is connected by a short link51 to the long rod 21*. Consequently, these bars 50 and 51 form alockingmeans for the movable tongue 4 for when a train is in the zonebetween the' switch-points and the frog-point the wheels of the trainwill bear upon the bars 50 and 51 and thus prevent the rods 21 and 21from moving.

Figs. 41 and 10 illustrate clearly the construction of the base plate 52on which the movable frog-point l is slidingly mounted. Said base plateis connected to the ties of the track and a hollow wheel tread member 53preferably a casting or drop forging is mounted on one end of said baseplate, the member 53 being provided with laterally projecting flanges 53through which fastening devices pass to connect said member to the baseplate. The movable frog-point is pivotally connected to said member, asshown in Fig. 4, and the rails which form continuations of the insiderails of the main line and siding have their vertical webs connected towings or lugs 5% on the member 53 by bolts or other suitable fasteningdevices, as shown clearly in Fig. 10. The ends of said rails buttagainst the end wall of the member 53 and the base plate is ofiset toform a vertical shoulder or face 55 against which the ends of said railsabut. At the opposite end of the base plate is a detachable member 56having tread portions 57 that form continuations of the inside rails ofthe main line and siding, the webs of said rails being connected to lugsor wings on said member in a manner similar to that illustrated in Fig.10. I prefer to provide the base plate with tread portions 57, as shownin Fig. 4, but if desired, the end of the frog-point could coperatedirectly with the terminals of the inside rails of the main line andsiding, as illustrated in Fig. 23 of the drawings. The frog-tongueslides transversely over the base plate, as previously described, andthe base plate is provided with a stop of similar construction to thatillustrated in Fig. 15 which projects into a chamber in the frog-tonguefor limiting the movements of said tongue.

Instead of providing the base plate with a detachable member 53, asshown in Fig. 10, the base plate can be provided with an integral member58, as shown in Fig. 11, to which the frog-point and the rails whichform the continuations of the inside rails of the main line and sidingare connected. The base plate shown in Fig. 11 is also provided withpairs of integral upwardly projecting lugs 59 that embrace the webs ofthe rails and are connected thereto by fastoning devices, the bases ofsaid rails having slots through which said lugs project.

Figs. 12 to 15 illustrate a base plate 60 of different construction fromthat shown in Figs. 10 and 11. The base plate shown in Figs. 12 to 15preferably consists of a drop forging and is provided with alongitudinally extending strengthening rib 61 and a number oftransversely extending ribs 62, the transverse ribs 62 being higher thanthe longitudinally extending rib 61 so as to form a flat supportingsurface on which the movable tongue 63 slides. The base plate isprovided with an upwardly projecting semicircular flange 6 1- thatextends into a semicircular recess on the underneath side of the tongue63 to pivotally connect said tongue to the base plate.

As previously stated, a chamber 65 is formed in the underneath side ofthe tongue 63, and the base plate is provided with an upwardlyprojecting stop 66 that extends into said chamber for limiting themovements of the tongue, said stop being provided with laterallyprojecting flanges that coiiperate with flanges on the tongue 63 toprevent said tongue from moving upwardly from the base plate. Ifdesired, this stop 66 can consist of a separate piece that is riveted tothe base plate, as shown in Fig. 15. The base plate 60 is provided ateach of its'ends with a pair of vertical webs 67 T to which the webs ofthe rails are connected,

as shown in Fig. 12, the webs 67 on the base plate being strengthened bymeans of transversely extending T-shaped ribs 68 arranged between eachpair of webs and integrally connected thereto. The upper edges of thewebs 67 are flanged laterally, as shown in Fig. 14, to form seats forthe heads of the rails and one-half of the base of each rail is cut awayso that the web of the rail can lie up against the web 67 to which it isconnected by bolts or fastening devices 69 that extend through the websof the rails and the webs on the base plate. The end of the movabletongue cooperates directly with the terminals of the inside rails 1 and2 of the main line and siding, and the rails which form continuations ofsaid inside rails butt against an integral tread portion 70 on the baseplate, as shown in Figs. 12 and 13.

Both of the wheeloperated members 12 and 12 shown in Fig. l are of thesame construction so that I will describe only the member 12" which isillustrated clearly in Figs. 16 to 22, inclusive. Said member 12comprises a base 71 arranged in alinement with the outside rail of thesiding and a movable element 12 carried by links 72 that are pivotallyconnected to said base. The base 71 has a vertically disposed web 7 3provided on its opposite sides with shoulders 7 4 that form bearingfaces for the movable element 12 said movable element having an invertedchannel-shaped tread portion that embraces the reduced portion of theweb 7 3 and a shank 75 that is arranged at one side of said web 7 3, asshown in Figs. 16 and 18. An inverted channel-shaped tread portion 76which is preferably formed from some hard material, such for example, asmanganese steel, is permanently connected to the vertical web 7 3 of thebase 71 adjacent the shank 75 of the movable element so as to form acontinuation of the tread of the rail and the tread portion of themovable element 12 but, if desired, the vertical web of the base can beprovided with an integral tread portion at this point. The base 71 isprovided on its underneath side with thickened portions 77 that formbearings for pins 78 which pivotally connect the links 72 to the base,and the links that are connected to the shank 75 of the movable elementare arranged at one side of the vertical web of the base, as shown inFigs. 18 and 19, the base being provided with slots through which saidlinks extend. The links 72 which are connected to the inverted channelshaped tread portion 12 of the movable element extend through slots inthe vertical web of the base 71 and the upper ends of said links arecorneas:

arranged inside said inverted channel-shaped tread portion, as shown inFig. 20, the reduced portion of the vertical web of the base 71 beingcut away, as shown in Fig. 17, so as to permit said links to swing ontheir fulcrums and thus move the movable element longitudinally of thebase. I also prefer to provide the inverted channel shaped tread portion12 of the movable element with depending flanges 7 9 that telescope overthe wide portion of the vertical web of the base, as shown in Figs. 20and 21, so as to prevent dirt or ice from collecting on the bearingsurfaces 74 on the web 73 on which the movable element 12 rests when inits depressed position.

As shown in dotted lines in Fig. 17 the vertical web of the base isprovided with an inclined bearing face 80 on which a cooperatinginclined bearing face on the movable element 12 rests when said movableelement is in its normal elevated position. the links 72 which supportsthe movable element 12 is rigidly connected to a rock shaft 81 that isjournaled in a bearing 82 connected to the underneath side of the base71, as shown in Figs. 17 and 22, and the rock arm 20 to which the link19 is fastened, is rigidly connected to said rock shaft 81. A wheel thattravels over the outside rail of the siding in the direction indicatedby the arrow 0 in Fig. 1, will ride onto the shank 75 of the movableelement 12 and thus depress said movable element and move itlongitudinally in the direction indicated by the arrow in said figure,thereby rocking the arm 20 and actuating the links and levers whichcause the frogpoint 4 to move into alinement with the inside rail of thesiding, the movable element being returned to its normal elevatedposition by the mechanism previously described.

In Fig. 23 I have illustrated a slightly modified form of my inventionwherein the frog-point or tongue 4 is operated by mechanism which ismoved by the switch-operating bar 5 instead of by wheel-operatedmembers. In this form, the switch-operating bar is pivotally connectedto bell crank levers 83 and 83 that are connected by means of long rods84 and 84 to bell crank levers 85 and 85 The bell crank lever 85 isconnected by a yielding link 86 to a bell crank lever 87 arranged on oneside of the movable frogpoint 4, and the bell crank lever 85 isconnected by a yielding link 86 to a second bell crank lever 87 arrangedon the other side of the frog-point, said bell crank levers 87 One ofand 87 being connected by means of short bar is moved in the oppositedirection by its 1 operating spring 6 the tongue 1 will be moved backinto alinement with the inside rail of the main line. iVheel-operatedbars 88 and 88 which normally lie above the tread of the outside rail ofthe siding are employed for moving the reciprocating tripping device 31arranged inside of the lions ing 27, into the position shown in dottedlines in Fig. 6, and a spring 89 which is connected to the bar 88 movessaid bars back to their normal position when the train has passedthrough the frog or has passed from the siding onto the main line,thereby causing the reciprocating tripping device 31 to trip the lockingdog 26 and release the switch-operating bar 5. The members 88 and 88 areso mounted that they move longitudinally in opposite directions, andmeans is provided for causing said members to move simultaneously sothat when a wheel strikes one member and depresses it the other memberwill be depressed. The means herein shown for causing said members to bedepressed and returned to their elevated position simultaneously,consists of a lever 90 havingone of its ends pivotally connected to themember 88 and its opposite end connected to a stationary support, alever 90 pivoted intermediate its ends to a support and having its innerend pivotally connected to the member 88, and a link 91 connected to theouter end of lever 90 and to the intermediate portion of lever 90. Byconstructing the members 88 and 88 in this manner I cause each member tomove longitudinally in the same direction as that in which the wheelthat operates it is traveling.

Fig. 24 illustrates in detail the construction of the yielding link 86that operates the bell crank lever 87, the link 86 being of the sameconstruction. This link 86 consists of two sections, one of which passesfreely through one end of a housing 92 into which the other section ofthe link extends. The section first referred to is provided with anadjustable stop or nut 93 located inside of the housing and the secondsection of the link is provided with a head 91 located inside of thehousing and an adjustable stop or nut that contacts with the outsideface of the end of the housing. A coiled expansion spring 96 isinterposed between the inside face of the end of the housing and thehead 94 on the second section of the link so as to hold the stop 95 incontact with the housing. When a train traveling on the sidingapproaches the heel end of the frog, the flange of the wheel that istraveling on the inside rail will engage the movable frogpoint 1 andthus shift it laterally into alinement with the inside rail of thesiding with which the end of the frog-point coiiperates, the spring 96being compressed and the section of the link 86 which is provided withthe stop 95 moving the housing of said link but not imparting anymovement to the section of the link 86 which is provided with the stop93. After the train has passed through the frog the spring 96 of thelink 86 will expand and thus move the frog-point 1 back to its normalposition in alinement with the inside rail of the main line. Byadjusting the stops 93 and 95 of the links 86 and 86 I am able toposition the frog-point accurately with relation to the terminals of theinside rails with which the frog-point coiiperates.

For insuring a full movement of the frogoint I employ wheel-operatedmembers 97 and 97 that are connected by means of links 98 and 98 to thebell crank levers S7 and 8'7 arranged on opposite sides of the movablefrog-point 1, as shown in Fig. 23. In case the levers and links whichconnect the tongue 1 to the switch-operating bar 5 fail to move saidtongue far enough to bring it into alinement with the inside rail of themain line or siding, the wheel of a train that approaches the frog oneither the main line or siding will depress the bars 97 or 97 thatcotiperate with the rail 011 which said wheel is traveling and thus movesaid bar longitudinally so as to actuate the bell crank levers 87 and 87to complete the movement F of said tongue 4.

The form of my invention illustrated in Fig. 26 comprises a rigidfrog-point 99 and a switch-point operating mechanism of the sameconstruction as that shown in Fig. 23.

To prevent an unauthorized person from actuating the switch-operatingbar 5 I have provided means for locking said bar in position to keep themain line open. One form of locking means that is embodied in theconstruction shown in Fig. 1 is illustrated in detail in Figs. 27 to 29,and referring to said figures, it will be seen that the switchoperatingbar 5 is pivotally connected at its outer end to an arm 1.00 on avertically disposed shaft 101 which projects up through a switch-stand.Said shaft is provided with an operating lever 102 that is arrangedabove the horizontal top plate 103 of the switch-stand and a rigid hook101 on said arm is adapted to project into a housing 105 on the plate103 when the switch-points are in position to open the main line, asshown in Fig. 1. A pivotally mounted pawl 106 is arranged inside of thehousing 105 for engaging the hook 104: on the arm 102 so as to lock theshaft 101 which imparts movement to the switch-opera ing bar, and saidhousing is provided with a hinged top, as shown in Fig. 28, that can beraised to permit the switchman to lift the pawl 106 out of engagementwith the hook 10 1 so as to release the operating shaft 101. The hingedtop of the housing 105 can be locked by means of a padlock 107 or anyother suitable form of look so as to prevent the pawl 106 from beingdisengaged from the hook 104: by an unauthorized person. WVhen theswitch-operating bar 5 is moved in the opposite direction to thatindicated by the arrow a in Fig. 1 by the spring 6 so as to close thesiding, the hook 104 will strike an inclined face on the pawl 106 andthus swing said pawl on its fulcrum to permit the hook to pass same, thepawl thereafter swinging back into position to lock the hook, as shownin dotted lines in Fig. 27. I prefer to form the housing 105 in themanner shown in Figs. 28 and 29 so as to prevent the housing from beingremoved from the base plate or the top of the housing from being removedby taking out the pintle of the hinge that connects said top to thelower portion of the housing. The pintle 108 of said hinge is arrangedinside of the housing and the screws 109 which connect the housing tothe plate 103 pass through the bottom of the lower portion of thehousing so that the housing cannot be removed or the pintle of the hingeremoved without first raising the top of the housing. The fulcrum pinfor the pawl 106 is also arranged inside of the housing, said pin beingcarried by lugs 109 on the underneath side of the top of the housing.

Figs. 30 to 32, inclusive, illustrate another form of locking device forthe switchoperating bar, said locking device consisting of a shoulderorfriction roller 110 on the switch-operating bar 5 which cooperateswith the locking dog 26 to prevent said bar from being moved in thedirection indicated by the arrow at in Fig. 1, without first raising thedog 26. The housing 27 in which said locking dog 26 is, arranged, has ahinged portion 27 which can be raised to permit the switchman to swingthe locking dog 26 upwardly into the position shown in dotted lines inFig. 30 so as to disengage said dog from the shoulder or roller 110 onthe bar 5, the hinged portion 27 of said housing being locked by apadlock or any other suit able lock to prevent an unauthorized personfrom swinging the dog 26 upwardly. The bar 5 is also provlded with asliding block 111 which can be moved longitudinally of the bar inthedirection indicated by the arrow in Fig. 32 so as to hold the lockingdog 26 in its inoperative position and prevent it from dropping backinto engagement with the roller 110 on the bar 5 while the switchman iswalking over to the switch-stand to operate the shaft that actuates saidbar 5 To release the bar 5 the switchman first unlocks the padlock andthen raises the hinged portion 2" of the casing so that he can get atthe dog 26. After the dog has been swung upwardly the block 111 is movedinto position to support said dog and the hinged portion 27" of thehousing is then returned to its closed position and locked by thepadlock. The switchman then turns the operating shaft of theswitch-stand so as to move the bar o to open the siding and when theblock 111 on the bar 5 strikes the wall 27 of the housing 27 said blockwill be returned to its normal position so that when the bar 5 movesback to its home position the block 111 will be out of the path ofmovement of the locking dog 26 and thus permit said dog to swing downinto position to engage the roller 110 on the bar 5 and thus lock saidbar.

As my invention is applicable to other types of switches than theparticular type of switch point shown in the accompanying drawings, 1wish to be distinctly understood as including within the scope of myinvention, such other types of switches, and where the expressionswitch-points is used in the specification and claims the same is to beunderstood as comprehending switches such as stub switches, etc.

I do not wish to be confined to the use of the spring 6 as the motivepower for moving the switch as pneumatic or electrical power,

or a weight could be employed for the same.

purpose.

In the operation of my device, where a train passes onto a siding, wherethe movable frog is employed, it is necessary that the train pass beyondthe point of the frog, say, for instance, the distance of or feet in thecase of a No. 9 frog. Where a rigid frog is employed the zone of releasewill not be less than 45 feet (in a No. 9 frog) so that the switch willbe thrown when the last wheel is within fifty or sixty feet of theswitch.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire tosecure by Let ters Patent is:

1. A railway switch comprising switch points, means for moving saidswitch points in position to open the siding, means for moving saidswitch points in the opposite direction to close the siding and open themain line, a locking device which automatically locks the switch pointswhen they arrive in position to open the siding, a member that isadapted to trip said locking device so as to release the switch points,wheel-operated members arranged adjacent one rail of a siding for movingsaid tripping member in one direction, and independent means for movingsaid tripping member in the oppo site direction to cause it to trip saidlocking device; substantially as described.

2. A railway switch comprising switch points, an operating bar formoving said switch points into position to open the siding, means formoving said switch points in the opposite direction to close the siding,a locking device adapted to engage said bar and lock said switch pointsin position to keep the siding open, a tripping member cooperating withsaid locking device, depressible wheel-o erated members arrangedadjacent one rai of the siding and being operatively connected to saidtripping member for setting it in an operative position, and means formoving said tripping member into engagement with the locking device totrip same after the wheels of the train have passed off saidwheel-operated members; substantially as described.

3. A railway switch comprising switchpoints, yielding means for normallyholding said switch-points in position to open the main line, anoperating bar for moving said switch-points into position to close themain line and open the siding, a locking device cooperating with saidbar for preventing the switch-points from moving back to their normalposition, a member for tripping said locking device to release said bar,means operated by the wheels of a passing train for moving said trippingmember to an operative position, and yielding means for moving saidtripping member into engagement with said locking device; substantiallyas described.

4. A railway switch comprising switch points, an operating bar formoving said switch oints, a locking device cooperating with said bar forholding the switch points in a certain position, means for tripping saidlocking device, and means arranged adjacent one rail of the siding forcausing said tripping device to become operative, said means andtripping device being so constructed that the locking device remains inoperative engagement with the operating bar until after the wheels ofthe train have passed o'tl said tripping device operating means;substantially as described.

5. A railway switch comprising switch points, an operating bar formoving said switch points, a locking device cooperating with said barfor holding the switch points in a certain position, and automatic meansadapted to be operated by a train on the sid ing for tripping saidlocking means to release the' switch points after the train has passedthrough the switch; substantially as described.

G. A railway switch comprising switchpoints, an operating bar for movingsaid switch-points, a locking device cooperating with said bar forholding the switch-points in a certain position, a member for trippingsaid locking device to release said bar, wheeloperated members formoving said tripping member into an operative position, and means foractuating said member to cause it to engage the locking device;substantially as described.

7. A railway switch frog comprising switch points, a movable frog point,means for normally holding said frog point and switch points in positionto open the main line, means for moving the switch points into positionto open the siding, wheel-operated members operatively connected to thefrog point, a locking element for locking the switch points in positionto open the siding, and means operated by the wheels of a train on thesiding for releasing said locking element; substantially as described.

8. A railway switch frog comprising switchpoints, a movable frog-point,yielding means for holding said frog-point and switch-points normally inposition to open the main line, an operating bar for moving theswitch-points into position to open the siding, wheel-operated membersfor moving the frog-point into position to open the siding, and meansfor causing the switch-points and frog-point to remain in such positionwhile a train is in the zone between the switch-points and frog-point;substantially as described.

9. A railway switch frog comprising switch-points and a movablefrog-point, means for normally holding said switchpoints and frog-pointin position to open the main line, wheel-operated members for moving thefrog-point into position to close the main line and open the siding, andan independent wheel-operated member for preventing the frog-point fromreturning to its normal position until after a train has passed throughthe frog; substantially as described.

10. A railway track structure comprising switch points, a movabletongue, means for normally holding the switch points and movable tonguein such a position that the main line is open, an operating bar formoving the switch points, means for causing the tongue to move with theswitch points, wheeloperated members operatively connected to saidmovable tongue to insure a full movement thereof, a locking element forholding the switch points in position to open the siding, a device fortripping said locking element, a wheel-operated member adapted to beoperated by a train on the siding for setting said tripping device in anoperative position, and independent means for causing said trippingdevice to trip said. locking elemeut after the wheel-operated membershave been released; substantially as described.

11. A railway switch frog comprising switch-points and a movable frogtongue, means for normally holding said switchpoints and frog tongue insuch a position that the main line is open, a pair of wheelopcratedmembers forming part of the outside rail of the siding, mechanismactuated by said wheel-operated members for moving the frog tongue intoposition to open the siding, and a wheel-operated bar arranged betweensaid wheel-operated members and cooperating with the frog tongueactuating mechanism for locking said frog tongue in position to closethe main line; substantially as described.

12. A railway switch frog comprising a main track and a siding, movableswitchpoints, a movable frog-point, means for normally holding saidswitch-points and frogpoint in position to keep the main line open,wheel-operated members arranged adjacent the outside rail of the siding,mechanism operated by said members for moving the frogpoint intoposition to close the main line and open the siding, and an independentwheeloperated bar operatively connected to the frog point movingmechanism for locking the frog-point in position to keep the sidingopen; substantially as described.

13. A railway switch frog comprising a main track and a siding, movableswitchpoints, a movable trogpoint, yielding means for normally holdingsaid switch-points and the frog-point in such a position that the mainline is open, an operating bar for moving the switch-points intoposition to close the main line and open the sidin wheeloperated membersfor moving the frog-point into position to open the siding, a lockingdevice cooperating with the switch-point operating bar, a trippingmember for moving said locking device into an inoperative position, anda connection between said tripping member and one of said wheel-operatedmembers; substantially as described.

14. A railway switch frog comprising switch-points and a movablefrog-point, yielding means for normally holding said switch-points andfrog-point in such a position that the main line is open, an operatingbar for moving the switch-points into position to close the main lineand open the siding, wheel-operated members for moving the frog-pointinto a. similar position, a locking device cooperating with saidoperating bar for preventing the switch-points from returning to theirnormal position, a tripping member for disengaging said locking devicefrom said operating bar, a wheel-operated bar connected to said trippingmember, a connection between said wheel-operated bar and one of thewheel-operated members whereby the tripping member is caused to moveinto an operative position when the wheel-operated member is depressed,and means for causing said tripping member to trip the locking devicewhen the wheeloperated member returns to its normal position;substantially as described.

15. A railway switch frog comprising a main line and a sliding, movableswitchpoints, a movable frog-point, yielding means for normally holdingsaid switch-points and frog-point in such a position that the main lineis open, an operating bar for moving the switch-points into position toclose the main line and open the siding, wheel-operated members formoving the frogpoint into a similar position, a locking devicecooperating with the operating bar for locking said switch-points, atripping member for disengaging said locking device from said bar, a

wheel-operated bar to which said tripping member is connected, a casingconnected to a link on which said wheel-operated bar is mounted, aplunger projecting into said cas ing and pivotally connected to one ofthe wheel-operated members, and a spring interposed between the end ofsaid casing and a head on said plunger; substantially as described.

16. A railway switch frog comprising switch-points, a movablefrog-point, means for normally holding said switch-points and frog-pointin position to open the main line, a locking device for preventing saidswitchpoints from returning to their normal position, a tripping member,yielding means for moving said tripping member into engagement with saidlocking device, and wheel-operated members for storing up energy in saidyielding means; substantially as described.

17. A railway switch frog comprising switch-points, a movablefrog-point, an operating bar connected to said switch-points for movingthem into position to open the siding, yielding means for moving theswitch-points in the opposite direction to close the siding and open themain line, mechanism actuated by the operating bar for moving the frogpoint, a locking device cooperating with said operating bar for holdingthe switch-points in position to keep the siding open, and meansoperated by the wheels of a train that has passed through the switch forreleasing said bar from said locking device so that the yielding meanscan operate to close the switch; substantially as described.

18. A railway switch frog comprising switch-points, means for lockingsaid switch points, a movable frog-point, an operating bar for movingsaid switch-points, and a. connection between said operating bar and themovable frog-point, said connection being so constructed that the frogpoint can move while the switch points remain locked substantially asdescribed.

19. A railway switch frog comprising switch-points, a movablefrog-point, an operating bar for moving said switch-points, a system oflinks and levers arranged betwee the opposite sioes of said frog-pointand said operating bar for transmitting the movements of said bar tosaid frog-point, and yielding links forming part of said system;substantially as described.

20. A railway switch frog comprising switch-points, a movablefrog-point, yielding means for normally holding the switchpoints in sucha position that the main line

